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Introducing Jay Kannaiyan, Vintage Rides’ new partner

Have you ever dreamt of getting rid of all your possessions and going on a trip, figuring out as you go where the journey is taking you? I’d like to introduce someone to you who did just that, on a motorcycle. And he did it big! Meet Jay Kannaiyan… Jay is originally from around […]

Have you ever dreamt of getting rid of all your possessions and going on a trip, figuring out as you go where the journey is taking you? I’d like to introduce someone to you who did just that, on a motorcycle. And he did it big! Meet Jay Kannaiyan… Jay is originally from around Chennai, but spent a part of his childhood in Zambia, Africa. He then continued going to school in India before moving to the United States to study engineering and finally landing a job in Chicago. While Jay was living in the US, he went on several motorcycle tours across the country, Alaska, Canada and Mexico. But that wasn’t enough. The trips were too short for the Indian expat. In March 2010, the time had come. Jay quit his job, sold everything he had (his car, his house, and everything that was inside…) and decided to drive back to India from Chicago on a Suzuki DR650 from 1998. Time didn’t matter, so he decided to drive through South America, Europe and Africa to reach his homeland. It took him 3 years and 3 months to get to destination. During these 39 months, Jay rode a total of 103 200 km, visited 33 countries, used 48 pages in 3 passports, changed the oil of sanDRina (which is how he called his bike) 17 times and used 6 sets of tires. The simple motorcycle structure and engine of his DR allowed Jay to fix all breakdowns from the side of the road. He rode through some of the most remote parts of the planet, such as Patagonia, the Amazon rainforest, the Sahara and Namib deserts and of course Ladakh, in the Indian Himalayas. Jay simply feels best when he’s on his bike, surrounded by nature, and loves to meet the locals. Today, Vintage Rides is happy to announce its new partnership with Jay, which came naturally as the two parties share the same spirit and passion.
Contact us now to go on a tour with Jay in India, Mongolia, Kenya and much more! To know more about Jay's journey, visit his Blog.

Bike riding can be a lot of fun unless you follow some guidelines for your own safety. Just like you need proper accessories to safeguard your bike, for better riding experience you need to have apparels that are capable of keeping you dry when it's wet, cool when it's hot, warm when it's cold and protect you in minor crashes. Experienced riders know the simplicity of bike travel is one of its great joys, but to the curious newcomer, this new world of possibility can appear bewildering.

Following the border of Myanmar and Lao for the next ten days, we plan to snake our way south-west from Chiang Mai, up to Doi Ang Khang and down to Lampang. Story of our Thailand motorcycle trip, and its highlights!